Ideas on best R&B club DJ out there?

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Ideas on best R&B club DJ out there?
Posted on: 16.05.2012 by Jake Vierow
Hey guys,
I'm no spring chicken when it comes to DJing (10 years+), but last evening I played a a massive R&B , Hip Hop evening here in Sydney, it's been a couple of years since I've done a main room.
I was the opener and played a pretty standard set of 80-110 BPM classic Hip Hop and R&B, some tasty reedits and short mixes etc to keep the energy up.
In the big scheme of things it was a pretty good set.
BUT, when the next guy came on my set felt immediately dated!
This guy was killin' it!
I realised that the dynamic has changed since I last played a main room. (I normally do main room Commercial house and Electro but not club R&B Hip Hop type stuff).
My question is:
who do you consider to be the best in this field and why?
and is there a good online source for the kind of tracks that they play?
I mean I have all the big tunes, just not the versions that these guys play.

Last evening completely inspired me to up my game, so I'd be grateful for you thoughts.
All the best
Jonesy
Layne Koop
17.05.2012
Originally Posted by soundinmotiondj
Based on your description...and my own reading between the lines...I am guessing that given the "same" set of music to start with, you still could not have produced the "same" final mix. My best advice is to find this guy and go hear him play some more....that might help to inspire your own creativity in your mixes.
Having thought about this for a little longer...


When I was CD based, I would take all the "one hit" CDs and burn compilations. I could condense my CD cases 10:1 that way. When I started buying from places with DRM, I would immediately burn to CD and rip to remove the DRM. Even today, when I get a bunch of new songs in, I burn a CD to listen to in the car.

In all cases, I notice that I tend to develop a preference for the order of the songs on the CD...even though the CD order is "random". One way to break out of that rut is to load a "handful" of songs into a playlist and listen on "shuffle" mode. That can help to break out of pre-conceived ideas about what songs flow together.
Layne Koop
17.05.2012
Originally Posted by KILLMeDJ
It was a combination of the tracks
Finding new music is a matter of putting in the time digging the crates (or whatever). This is a well known process and there are a LOT of resources available to help you find the current hot songs.

Originally Posted by KILLMeDJ
and the way he was mixing them.
This one is harder. If this was simply a matter of "better skills"....then the answer is also "put in the time."

However, if this is a matter of the other guy "seeing" a a larger theme that you could not pick out in that same set of music...that is a different problem. Being able to rearrange and remix songs in your head into something that will sound good is another layer to song selection. This is harder to accomplish with "brute force."

Based on your description...and my own reading between the lines...I am guessing that given the "same" set of music to start with, you still could not have produced the "same" final mix. My best advice is to find this guy and go hear him play some more....that might help to inspire your own creativity in your mixes.
Jake Vierow
17.05.2012
Originally Posted by ctg23
id say he probably got his remixes etc from record pools, there are hundreds out there and as a result even more different remixes of the same tracks.
Ha ha yup, there's a lot of the same shit repackaged thats for sure!
Seems to be what the kids want =(

But I'd rather have 300 happy peeps than an empty floor.
I guess I'll check out these record pool services and see what pops up!
All the best mate.
Jake Vierow
17.05.2012		Thanks for the reply.
in all honesty if I'd heard any of these tracks by themselves I would have hated them!
I guess I'll just put it down to the fact that this guy was actually really good!
I'm so used to average DJs that sometimes when I see some one who's actually talented I get pretty excited regardless of the genre!

I have to play with him again next week so I;d better get practising!
All the best




Originally Posted by djproben
"Quick mixing" is common in that scene but in my opinion the best DJs are not the ones running the songs together as quickly as they can. 1 verse/1 chorus/next song shows how skilled you are I suppose but it quickly annoys anyone who actually likes one of the songs. But the trick is to let most of the song play but still use quick mixing techniques, to move quickly from the last chorus of one song to the first verse of the next, for example. Folks who pull this off well are dynamite; I usually don't like this style of music but I will listen longer and closer to a DJ who mixes it well.

It sounds like the remixes come from compilations like Promo Only and Funkymix, which release remixes of top hits every month or so; they have record pools and include long intros, acapellas, instrumentals etc. for DJ use. Some DJs even add a loop or a drum machine on another deck to keep a consistent thump-thump going on throughout a set (though I'd worry about that making the set monotonous).

I wish I had the patience to mix this stuff to be honest; the demand for it is always huge and the dancefloor is extremely enthusiastic. But there's too damn much of it to keep up with and 90% of it is useless inside of a year, and a lot of it I don't even like.
Jake Vierow
16.05.2012		Hey guys,
I'm no spring chicken when it comes to DJing (10 years+), but last evening I played a a massive R&B , Hip Hop evening here in Sydney, it's been a couple of years since I've done a main room.
I was the opener and played a pretty standard set of 80-110 BPM classic Hip Hop and R&B, some tasty reedits and short mixes etc to keep the energy up.
In the big scheme of things it was a pretty good set.
BUT, when the next guy came on my set felt immediately dated!
This guy was killin' it!
I realised that the dynamic has changed since I last played a main room. (I normally do main room Commercial house and Electro but not club R&B Hip Hop type stuff).
My question is:
who do you consider to be the best in this field and why?
and is there a good online source for the kind of tracks that they play?
I mean I have all the big tunes, just not the versions that these guys play.

Last evening completely inspired me to up my game, so I'd be grateful for you thoughts.
All the best
Jonesy
Layne Koop
17.05.2012
Originally Posted by soundinmotiondj
Based on your description...and my own reading between the lines...I am guessing that given the "same" set of music to start with, you still could not have produced the "same" final mix. My best advice is to find this guy and go hear him play some more....that might help to inspire your own creativity in your mixes.
Having thought about this for a little longer...


When I was CD based, I would take all the "one hit" CDs and burn compilations. I could condense my CD cases 10:1 that way. When I started buying from places with DRM, I would immediately burn to CD and rip to remove the DRM. Even today, when I get a bunch of new songs in, I burn a CD to listen to in the car.

In all cases, I notice that I tend to develop a preference for the order of the songs on the CD...even though the CD order is "random". One way to break out of that rut is to load a "handful" of songs into a playlist and listen on "shuffle" mode. That can help to break out of pre-conceived ideas about what songs flow together.
Sylvia Greener
17.05.2012		Well, I believe it might be only a matter of this specific skills and not a matter of Djing skills in general. Maybe that guy worked out some nice techniques that impress you since you don't know them. The other way round he might not know all of your techniques. So it's just a different way of mixing...
If you are going to play with him again chances are high you will be able to have a short conversation with him or at least to have a look at his way of mixing. Sometimes it's only a special way of twisting the EQ knobs ...
Layne Koop
17.05.2012
Originally Posted by KILLMeDJ
It was a combination of the tracks
Finding new music is a matter of putting in the time digging the crates (or whatever). This is a well known process and there are a LOT of resources available to help you find the current hot songs.

Originally Posted by KILLMeDJ
and the way he was mixing them.
This one is harder. If this was simply a matter of "better skills"....then the answer is also "put in the time."

However, if this is a matter of the other guy "seeing" a a larger theme that you could not pick out in that same set of music...that is a different problem. Being able to rearrange and remix songs in your head into something that will sound good is another layer to song selection. This is harder to accomplish with "brute force."

Based on your description...and my own reading between the lines...I am guessing that given the "same" set of music to start with, you still could not have produced the "same" final mix. My best advice is to find this guy and go hear him play some more....that might help to inspire your own creativity in your mixes.
Sylvia Greener
17.05.2012		Keep us up-to-date! Sounds interesting
Jake Vierow
17.05.2012		Yeah I'm gonna watch him like a hawk next week! Ha
Brunilda Kora
17.05.2012		When you see him next week, find out where I can hear some of his stuff. I'd love to know what he's doing...
Jake Vierow
17.05.2012
Originally Posted by ctg23
id say he probably got his remixes etc from record pools, there are hundreds out there and as a result even more different remixes of the same tracks.
Ha ha yup, there's a lot of the same shit repackaged thats for sure!
Seems to be what the kids want =(

But I'd rather have 300 happy peeps than an empty floor.
I guess I'll check out these record pool services and see what pops up!
All the best mate.
Jake Vierow
17.05.2012		Thanks for the reply.
in all honesty if I'd heard any of these tracks by themselves I would have hated them!
I guess I'll just put it down to the fact that this guy was actually really good!
I'm so used to average DJs that sometimes when I see some one who's actually talented I get pretty excited regardless of the genre!

I have to play with him again next week so I;d better get practising!
All the best




Originally Posted by djproben
"Quick mixing" is common in that scene but in my opinion the best DJs are not the ones running the songs together as quickly as they can. 1 verse/1 chorus/next song shows how skilled you are I suppose but it quickly annoys anyone who actually likes one of the songs. But the trick is to let most of the song play but still use quick mixing techniques, to move quickly from the last chorus of one song to the first verse of the next, for example. Folks who pull this off well are dynamite; I usually don't like this style of music but I will listen longer and closer to a DJ who mixes it well.

It sounds like the remixes come from compilations like Promo Only and Funkymix, which release remixes of top hits every month or so; they have record pools and include long intros, acapellas, instrumentals etc. for DJ use. Some DJs even add a loop or a drum machine on another deck to keep a consistent thump-thump going on throughout a set (though I'd worry about that making the set monotonous).

I wish I had the patience to mix this stuff to be honest; the demand for it is always huge and the dancefloor is extremely enthusiastic. But there's too damn much of it to keep up with and 90% of it is useless inside of a year, and a lot of it I don't even like.
Leigh Dollyhigh
17.05.2012		id say he probably got his remixes etc from record pools, there are hundreds out there and as a result even more different remixes of the same tracks.
Danae Dumler
17.05.2012		"Quick mixing" is common in that scene but in my opinion the best DJs are not the ones running the songs together as quickly as they can. 1 verse/1 chorus/next song shows how skilled you are I suppose but it quickly annoys anyone who actually likes one of the songs. But the trick is to let most of the song play but still use quick mixing techniques, to move quickly from the last chorus of one song to the first verse of the next, for example. Folks who pull this off well are dynamite; I usually don't like this style of music but I will listen longer and closer to a DJ who mixes it well.

It sounds like the remixes come from compilations like Promo Only and Funkymix, which release remixes of top hits every month or so; they have record pools and include long intros, acapellas, instrumentals etc. for DJ use. Some DJs even add a loop or a drum machine on another deck to keep a consistent thump-thump going on throughout a set (though I'd worry about that making the set monotonous).

I wish I had the patience to mix this stuff to be honest; the demand for it is always huge and the dancefloor is extremely enthusiastic. But there's too damn much of it to keep up with and 90% of it is useless inside of a year, and a lot of it I don't even like.
Jake Vierow
17.05.2012		I believe you're right about the stigma attached to it.
Its a bit of a shame really. I would consider myself good DJ, but this guy last evening pretty much wiped the floor with me!
It was a combination of the tracks and the way he was mixing them. I figured there must be some one out there that set the bar for this kind of thing. I suppose believeing about it, it kind of stems from the Jazzy Jeff style of Hip Hop mixing where you just hit them with the best bits of the track and then move on to the next one. It's pretty much how I DJ my Hip Hop stuff anyway but there was definitely a vibe that I didn't quite have.
Anyhow thanks for the reply, I'll do some web trawling and see what I come up with.
Cheers
Marguerite Truka
17.05.2012		Its a tough one cuz there is kinda a stigma against ppl that brand themselfs r and b DJs. So I dont really know many ppl that are that famous for it the love is for hip hop DJ's and I believe it allways will be

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